CA High-Speed Rail Construction Package 4 – BNSF Shoofly in Operation in Wasco, CA

The Poso Avenue Shoofly entered operation in 2022 and was designed by JMA as part of the California High-Speed Rail Program’s Construction Package 4 (CP4), supporting the design-build contractor California Rail Builders – a joint venture between Ferrovial Construction and Griffith Company.

These tracks are temporary and allow for High-Speed Rail structures to be constructed without disturbing the movement of goods and people. Once High-Speed Rail construction is completed for this segment, the shoofly track is dismantled, and the main track is restored for regular train operations.

JMA led the design of two adjacent shooflies of BNSF mainline for California High-Speed Rail’s CP4 in Wasco.  Working closely with BNSF, a single long shoofly was modified to two shorter shooflies, which includes the Poso Avenue Shoofly seen here.

In addition to designing over 32,000 feet of new mainline and shoofly tracks, JMA coordinated all utility relocation submittals with BNSF (45 applications), designed a 15,000-foot relocation of Level 3 fiber line through Wasco, and led the CPUC applications for 10 new and modified crossings.  JMA additionally performed independent technical review of the High-Speed Train and associated project drainage for a 3-mile segment through Wasco.